Blast from the Past #405: Re: Ep 77 ("Exodus, Part One") Third Draft

Hey Pete – I honestly believe that the fact that a starship launches from Saki’s mansion is something we can have happen without critically crippling the Foot or our ability to continue to tell all the stories we want to tell in the TMNT saga. We fried the entire Foot skyscraper in the middle of NYC without skipping a beat. We exploded a huge Foot cargo ship in the middle of New York Harbor w/o any problem. And by this time in our series, NYC has faced down an alien invasion and have been cleaning up pieces of starship wreckage for weeks (months?). I think we can (easily?) come up with several scenarios that that will allow us to do whatever we want to do from here on out. While I have no serious problems with the scenario that you suggested, I don’t necessarily agree that it’s a better way to go… just another way to go. Given the schedule, we’re out of time on this one. The board artists have had it since Friday.

However, that being said, if you are adamant about making these changes, we could rewrite 77 this week and then re-board the new segments. I’m just concerned that the changes would be quite extensive, rippling from scene to scene, and even into the script for 78. It’s not impossible to make the changes if you really hate it the way it is… but it’ll be painful if we decide to do it! Anyway, let me know how we should proceed. And thanks for turning around the model approvals so quickly!

peace, Lloyd

Lloyd,

I could make the argument that there is a HUGE difference between a battle which took place between the Turtles and the Foot alone (which would describe both the skyscraper and ship scenarios you mention) and a battle which involves not only the Foot and the Turtles AND Bishop's black-ops commandos but also dozens/scores/hundreds (?) of NYC citizens including the mayor and other city officials, running for their lives as a building explodes around them. I could further make the argument that their is also a HUGE difference between the skyscraper battle and the ship battle -- both of which, while out of the ordinary, could be seen as purely two factions/gangs fighting against each other -- and the launch of a spaceship (!!!) from the mansion of Oroku Saki in downtown NYC, witnessed by many ordinary bystanders.

However, I won't make those arguments, and instead will agree to go with the script as is. I just want to point out now that by going with the script as is, I feel we are locking ourselves into a certain direction that we will have to follow through with in future episodes, as I discussed in my last email. Whether or not that's the best creative/storytelling decision... we'll have to wait and see.